Big Money Signings in Saudi Arabia Hating Every Minute of Their Bumper Transfers and Want To Go Home
As the Saudi Project ratchets up its plans to elevate the Saudi Pro League into one of the most dominant and high-quality ones in the world of football, there are growing pains in the form of the superstars it signed in the Summer.
Reports indicate that some of the big-money signings are ‘hating every minute’ of their stay in the Saudi League and want to return home. However, the challenge for these players is that they might be tied down into two- or three-year contracts.
Despite Saudi Arabia being a country of 37 million people, attendance has been less inspiring in the nation described as ‘football mad.’
For example, Jordan Henderson’s Al-Ettifaq, under the stewardship of Steven Gerrard, played in front of 9,827 in their home loss against Slaven Bilic’s Al-Fateh last Thursday. In the previous match, they played in front of 4,867, whereas last month, they won 3-1 at Abha in front of 976 fans.
Al-Ittihad is ranked the most supported in the Saudi Pro League, with 29,000 fans. However, in an 18-team league, more than half (11 clubs) average attendance of less than 5,000 fans, whereas two average 2,000 fans per game.
The Saudi Project should focus on creating incentives and an environment that attracts fans to the pitches as they grow the quality of the game.
